Short Essay About My Village

I responded by letting them know how much I missed being able to wear my sandals and chitenje to work and they all just laughed, knowing that that was my attire for two years while living in the village.When they found out I am now wearing skirts above the knees and that my feet are usually clean and my hair brushed there were even more giggles—like I had changed into a completely different person over the last 4 months.We started with breakfast at my favorite little tea room; a place where there is tea served, and where right outside you can buy big rolls of freshly baked bread and boiled sweet potatoes from woman sitting by the entrance.

Once our bellies were filled again we walked around the market saying hello to all the shops and ladies who I used to buy my food from daily.

The tomato ladies had so much to say and I could tell were as happy to see me as I was to see them.

The architects of modern India took note of the backwardness and horrifying conditions that gripped our villages in the past.

As a result of the integrated rural development schemes.

Betsy and I enjoyed our company and I felt so grateful to be able to see my Malawian mother and share a meal together after not seeing her for four months.

Being back in this place that I spent the last two years building a home was emotional and reflective, and it only made me want to return again soon.

So instead of doing what she came for, Betsy explored my village with me as I greeted old friends, visited the market place, and spent time with the family I called mine during my Peace Corps service.

We spent the day trying to fit in as much as possible as there were so many people to see and so much food to eat!

This weekend, I had the privilege of taking a new friend to my village to experience and learn about how things run at a rural health clinic in Malawi.

My friend Betsy is in the process of becoming a certified doula—a woman who is trained to support mothers and their families before, during, and after childbirth—and was hoping to be a part of a birth at a rural health center before she returns to the States.